The present invention relates to the surgical lighting arts. It finds particular application in conjunction with providing ambient lighting for use in operating room (OR) settings and will be described with particular reference thereto. It is to be appreciated, however, that the invention also finds application in conjunction with providing soft, uniformly distributed ambient lighting in other settings and applications and is not limited to the aforementioned surgical lighting embodiment.
Typically, in an operating room setting, large, high lumen output lightheads are used to illuminate the surgical site. One or more lightheads are suspended on articulated arms connected to the structural ceiling above the surgical table. Additionally, ambient lighting is often employed in the room during certain procedures where the larger lightheads are to be switched off so that the surgeons, nurses, and other support staff can observe video monitors and the like without the glare induced by the surgical lightheads. The ambient lighting enables the personnel to see and move about in regions of the room apart from the operating table.
In some present OR lighting systems, smaller lights are mounted on the upper portions of the surgical lighthead support arms to provide ambient lighting. However, systems of this type typically do not lend themselves well to ambient lighting for surgical applications because the light is usually directed at the ceiling or wall resulting in a non-uniform distribution of light throughout the room. Being largely directional in nature, these lights tend to illuminate some areas of the room, while leaving other portions of the room in darkness. Also, directional light can be inadvertently positioned in such a manner as to disrupt the vision of surgeons, nurses, or anesthetists. Further, the lighthead may need to be moved during a procedure, requiring a non-sterile nurse to move the lighthead, consuming both the nurse's time, and the surgeon's time.
The present invention provides a new and improved ambient lighting method and apparatus that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others to generate a soft, uniformly distributed ambient light that is particularly useful in surgical operating room applications.